


Whumptober 2020

by Vandera



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Death, Execution, Hanging, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26799658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vandera/pseuds/Vandera
Summary: Don’t read!
Relationships: Tyrathan Khort/Vol'jin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Day 1: Waking up restrained, shackled, hanging

Tyrathan Khort groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. What had happened? He had a splitting headache that added to his confusion. He slowly sat up and realized with a jolt that he had shackles around his wrists. Chains connected the shackles to the wall.

Alarmed, Tyrathan glanced around to take in his surroundings. Four stone walls, a stone floor, and a door with iron bars made up his current environment. A cell, thought Tyrathan grimly. He was a prisoner, but whose? 

Tyrathan tried to push through the fog that was clouding his memory. Fog. There had been fog that morning.  
———————————————————————————————————————————  
It was just before sunrise and a heavy fog blanketed the Echo Isles. Tyrathan found Vol’jin standing right outside their hut, staring off into the fog, with a frown on his face.

“Morning, Sunshine, what’s with the face?” Tyrathan yawned as he joined Vol’jin outside.

“Da fog be so thick dat da fishin’ boats can’t go out,” complained Vol’jin.

“Does it usually get this foggy here?” Tyrathan asked. Every time they had been here before, the weather had been sunny and warm. Now there was a little bit of a chill in the air. It raised goosebumps on Tyrathan’s skin.

“It be rare, but not unheard of. Sometimes happens when dere be a large storm out over da sea,” explained Vol’jin.

“Maybe that’s what happening now?” Tyrathan reasoned.

“If it was, da shamans would have been raisin’ a fuss,” muttered Vol’jin as he shook his head.

“Well, there’s nothing you can do to make it go away. The sun will burn it up soon. Why don’t we take a walk down the beach?” Tyrathan smiled.

“Just da two of us?” Vol’jin grinned.

“Yeah. The kids are still asleep. They’ll be fine alone for awhile,” said Tyrathan.

The two of them strolled down to the beach, side by side. It was a quiet, peaceful morning. When they reached the beach, Tyrathan leaned against Vol’jin. 

With a chuckle, Vol’jin wrapped an arm around Tyrathan’s shoulders. Tyrathan smiled up at Vol’jin. He loved quiet morning walks along the beach with Vol’jin, just the two of them. How had he been so lucky to have Vol’jin as a mate?

Vol’jin leaned down and rubbed his tusks against Tyrathan’s face. He pressed his forehead against Tyrathan’s. At that moment, everything just seemed perfect to Tyrathan. He brought his arms up to wrap around Vol’jin’s neck.

BOOM!

The sound caused both of them to jump. A cannonball came flying out of the fog and struck the ground nearby. Everything that happened next seemed to be moving both in slow motion and at breakneck speed.

The fog lifted revealing a fleet of Alliance vessels. Cannonballs began to pound the beach and village, destroying several huts in the process. Screams from injured villagers were quickly drowned out as the fire from the Alliance ships increased.

Soon, Alliance soldiers began to race onto the beach as Darkspear warriors mobilized to repel the attack. Tyrathan and Vol’jin found themselves in the middle of the battle, fighting side by side. The rest became a blur, but at some point Tyrathan must have been struck and knocked unconscious.  
————————————————————————————————————————————  
The chains rattled as Tyrathan buried his head in his hands. Part of him wished that he had not remembered what had happened, but it at least answered who’s prisoner he was. But why take him alive? He could not see any benefit he could offer the Alliance, unless...unless Vol’jin was still alive.

That was it. That had to be the reason. Vol’jin was still alive, and the Alliance was probably planning to use Tyrathan as some kind of bait. Tyrathan gritted his teeth. Whatever they were planning, Tyrathan was going to do everything that he could to prevent them from harming Vol’jin.

The cell door opened and several human guards entered. They jerked Tyrathan up to his feet and undid the shackles around Tyrathan’s wrists, but it was only a temporary reprieve. They quickly tied his wrists behind his back and marched Tyrathan out of the cell and down the hallway.

“Where are you taking me?” Tyrathan demanded.

“Shut up, traitor!” ordered one of the guards.

When they reached a door at the end of the hallway, they opened it and Tyrathan was momentarily blinded by sunlight. The guards shoved Tyrathan forward as his vision slowly cleared, and Tyrathan wished that he could not see. They were in an open courtyard, filled with people, and a scaffold. They hauled Tyrathan onto the scaffold and brought him to face the hanging rope.

Tyrathan swallowed the lump in his throat as he realized what was going to happen to him. He tried to ignore the executioner as he slid the rope around Tyrathan’s neck. He tried to ignore the people in the courtyard who were shouting insults at him. He glanced over their heads and his eyes froze as they landed on a series of spikes on the far end of the courtyard. 

Heads of the executed were displayed on the spikes, including several heads belonging to the Horde leaders, but it was one head that grabbed Tyrathan’s attention. Proudly displayed in the center was the severed head of the Horde’s Warchief, Vol’jin.

That was the last thing Tyrathan saw as the trap door underneath him opened.


	2. Day 2: “Pick who dies”

Vol’jin winced in pain as he sat down on his throne. He waved Rokhan and Vanira away, telling them to gather the rest of the Horde leaders as soon as they got off their respective ships. The two of them immediately set off to do as they were told.

The battle at the Broken Shore had been a disaster, and Vol’jin had been injured. He glanced at the bandages wrapped his torso. He could feel the fel poison leeching away his life. He was going to die. Vol’jin already knew that. Yet, he had to hang on for a little while longer, to insure that the Horde would survive. He had to name someone to lead the Horde after his death, someone who would protect the Horde from the Legion and any other threats that may arise, someone who would...

“Why not ya?” Bwonsamdi asked as he emerged from the shadows. “Why don’t ya continue to lead da Horde and defend it?”

“I would think dat ya would know da answer to dat. I be dyin’,” wheezed Vol’jin. His voice was already sounding weak. “Isn’t dat why ya be here?”

“Perhaps,” said Bwonsamdi as he shrugged. “Da real reason I be here is to offer ya a deal.”

“What kind of deal?” Vol’jin asked as he narrowed he his eyes. He was well aware of the kind of deals his Loa asked of his followers.

“I will heal ya of dis poison dat courses through ya veins and ya will live and continue to lead and defend da Horde,” offered Bwonsamdi.

“In exchange for what?” Vol’jin asked.

“A sacrifice. A single soul,” answered Bwonsamdi.

“Just one soul?” Vol’jin asked.

“You’ve sent me many souls over da years. Ya been a good, faithful servant. So, yeah, just one soul for dis deal,” explained Bwonsamdi. 

Vol’jin hissed as another wave of pain shot through him. It was getting worse by the minute. He sent the souls of his enemies to Bwonsamdi all the time. The Loa really was not asking Vol’jin to do anything different than he already did. 

“Come now, Vol’jin, ya runnin’ out of time,” coaxed Bwonsamdi. “Pick who dies. You, and quite possibly the entire Horde and your tribe, or a single soul.”

The Horde needed Vol’jin right now. The Legion was invading. The Darkspear tribe needed Vol’jin. An enemy’s soul was definitely an acceptable price to pay to continue to live and fulfill his obligations.

“Do we have a deal?” Bwonsamdi grinned as he held out his hand.

“Deal,” answered Vol’jin as he took Bwonsamdi’s hand.

Magic surged from Bwonsamdi and Vol’jin could feel it burning up the fel poison that had threatened to kill him. The nasty wound where he had been stabbed closed up. Within moments, Vol’jin felt stronger.

“How do ya feel now?” Bwonsamdi asked as he started to walk back to the shadows in the corner of the room.

“Better,” answered Vol’jin.

“Good, good. Now ya won’t forget our deal, right?” Bwonsamdi asked.

“You’ll get your soul soon,” said Vol’jin.

Bwonsamdi chuckled. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell ya da name of da soul I want.”

Vol’jin frowned. Name? He had just assumed that it could be anyone. He did not realize that Bwonsamdi had someone particular in mind. That would make it harder to fulfill the deal, having to track that person down.

“Do ya want to know da name of da soul I want?” Bwonsamdi grinned as he turned around to face Vol’jin.

Something was wrong. Vol’jin began to get a bad feeling that he was not going to like the answer. He nodded.

“Da soul I want is da one I gave back to ya. Da human, Tyrathan Khort. I told ya dat it not be forever. So find him, and send him back to me,” said Bwonsamdi as he vanished into the shadows.

Vol’jin just stared at the corner where Bwonsamdi had been, wishing that he had not agreed to Bwonsamdi’s deal. Even though the Loa was gone, Vol’jin could still hear Bwonsamdi laughing at his foolishness.


	3. Day 3: Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a follow up to chapter 2.

Tyrathan Khort was used to having nightmares. After living the life he had lived, hunting, killing, fighting, nightmares were a frequent companion. However, ever since the Burning Legion invaded, his dreams had taken a turn that even he found disturbing.  
——————————————————————————————————————————  
Darkness surrounded Tyrathan. He could barely hear footsteps behind him. Something, or someone, was hunting him. Tyrathan reached for his bow, but it was gone. He was unarmed. Tyrathan took a defensive stance. Whatever it was, he was going to have to fight it on his own.

The footsteps came closer and closer. Tyrathan braced himself for an attack. A familiar form emerged from the darkness. A troll, but not just any troll. Vol’jin.

Tyrathan relaxed and smiled. “You scared me there for a minute,” he said to Vol’jin.

Vol’jin did not respond. He just stared at Tyrathan, expressionless.

“Vol’jin?” Tyrathan asked.

Vol’jin unsheathed his glaive and charged at Tyrathan.

“Vol’jin!” Tyrathan shouted as he dodged Vol’jin’s attack. How could Vol’jin attack him? Tyrathan had thought that they were friends. They had been lovers. After everything, how could Vol’jin turn on him like this?

Vol’jin continued to press his attack, while Tyrathan tried to avoid it. However, troll limbs were longer and Vol’jin managed to kick Tyrathan’s feet out from underneath him. Tyrathan hit the ground hard and Vol’jin pinned him.

“Vol’jin! Please! Why are you doing this?!” Tyrathan begged.

“Hold still. Dis will be quick,” growled Vol’jin. “Bwonsamdi be waitin’ for ya.” 

The flash of Vol’jin’s glaive cut across Tyrathan’s vision.  
———————————————————————————————————————————  
“Vol’jin! No!” Tyrathan gasped as he bolted awake. He glanced around his tent, but it was empty. He took several deep breaths trying to calm his racing heart. Why was he having dreams like this? Vol’jin would never hurt him. Tyrathan was sure of that.

Outside the tent, the wind howled around the mountain that Trueshoot Lodge was located on. Tyrathan sat there listening to the wind. It sounded like a howl. No, wait, it sounded like a laugh. A laugh that Tyrathan had heard once before, when he had almost died and Bwonsamdi had tried to collect his soul.

“He be comin’ for ya,” laughed Bwonsamdi.


	4. Day 4: Caged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare to have your heart broken into a million pieces.

Warchief Vol’jin grinned as he stood on the balcony of Grommash Hold and took in the sight of N’zoth’s corrupted Orgrimmar. The corruption that ran through the streets and overflowed into the sky was beautiful. Soon, all of Azeroth would belong to N’zoth and Vol’jin would rule the world under his master. All the beings on Azeroth would either bow and serve N’zoth or perish. Which reminded Vol’jin that he had some unfinished business.

Vol’jin went back inside and returned to his private suite, after giving orders that he was not to be disturbed. What he was about to do could take awhile. He entered his room and his eyes landed on the large cage in the corner. The current occupant of the cage lifted his head to look at Vol’jin.

Tyrathan Khort, Vol’jin’s mate, still refused to serve N’zoth, but Vol’jin was determined to change that. He unlocked the cage and stepped inside, closing the cage door behind him.

“Are ya ready to give in?” Vol’jin asked.

“Vol’jin, please,” whispered Tyrathan. “I know you’re still in there somewhere. Please, you have to fight him.”

“My sweet manthing,” chuckled Vol’jin. “Why are ya fighting this so much?”

Tyrathan had insisted on fighting. As Orgrimmar fell to N’zoth, Tyrathan had fought Vol’jin’s corrupted warriors while helping the uncorrupted civilians escape the city. That unselfish act led to him being captured and brought before Vol’jin. Even then Tyrathan refused to submit.

“This isn’t you, Vol’jin,” pleaded Tyrathan.

“But it is me,” grinned Vol’jin as he stroked Tyrathan’s cheek.

Tyrathan pulled away from the touch and anger surged through Vol’jin. It had been this way for days. No matter how much Vol’jin coaxed, Tyrathan still refused and resisted N’zoth’s influence. Now, Vol’jin was out of patience.

“Ya stood by my side as I ruled da Horde, and ya will stand by my side when I rule Azeroth,” declared Vol’jin as he snapped his fingers.

Tentacles shot out of the floor and wrapped around Tyrathan’s ankles and wrists, holding him in place. 

“Vol’jin, no,” whimpered Tyrathan as tears slid down his face. “Don’t do this.”

“Hush,” coaxed Vol’jin as he summoned another tentacle to brush the tears off Tyrathan’s cheek. “This will all be over once ya give in.”

“I should have let the Zandalari kill you,” spat Tyrathan angrily. “Then none of this would be happening!”

Vol’jin frowned and made the tentacle that was caressing Tyrathan’s cheek slap him instead.

Tyrathan sobbed as more tears slid down his face, but Vol’jin was unmoved by the crying. His mate would serve N’zoth, whether he wanted to or not. Gentleness and coaxing had made no progress, so now Vol’jin was going to try a different tactic.

“Ya will submit to N’zoth,” said Vol’jin as he approached Tyrathan. “Even if I have to break ya in the process.”

Tyrathan’s sobs quickly turned into screams.


	5. Day 5: On the Run

Tyrathan double checked his traps before retiring for the night. Tonight, he was spending the night in a cave in Stranglethorn. He knew this area, every hidden trail, every abandoned ruin, and every cave. Tyrathan never slept in the same place twice. It would be too risky. He was on the run, hiding from everyone, both the Alliance and the Horde.

Right before Vol’jin died, he named Sylvanas as the next Warchief. Tyrathan still didn’t know why Vol’jin had picked her, and he suspected something underhanded had been at work. However, when Vol’jin chose Sylvanas, Tyrathan knew that his days among the Horde were numbered. As long as the Legion was invading, Tyrathan was safe. Everyone was so focused on fighting the Legion that they didn’t care about fighting each other.

Tyrathan joined the Unseen Path to fight the Legion and tried to avenge Vol’jin’s death. He had promised his mate that he would. Sylvanas seemed fine with that. In fact, for awhile, it seemed as if she had forgotten that Tyrathan even existed. 

After the Legion was defeated, however, Tyrathan received an invitation to the celebration in Orgrimmar. It was signed by Sylvanas, and had been delivered to Trueshoot Lodge. She had remembered that Tyrathan was alive, and she knew where he was. 

Tyrathan declined the invitation and was still in the Broken Isles when word reached the Unseen Path of the new war between the Horde and Alliance. He knew then that returning to the Horde would be a stupid decision.

He knew that he would soon be one of Sylvanas’ targets. There was no way she was going to allow a live human to remain as part of the Horde, especially one as skilled as he was. The former Warchief’s mate would make an excellent prize as one of Sylvanas’ undead archers. That was a fate that Tyrathan wanted to avoid. He slipped away from Trueshoot Lodge one night without telling anyone. 

A rustling noise in the dark caught Tyrathan’s attention. He quickly readied an arrow in his bow. 

Tyrathan didn’t know if the Alliance was actively searching for him. The Alliance still considered him to be a traitor for choosing to be Vol’jin’s mate. They would probably be thrilled to get their hands on him, to make an example of him.

The rustling noise grew louder and closer.

Tyrathan knew that Sylvanas had people hunting him. He was a loose end that she wanted take care of. He knew some of the Horde’s secrets that they would not want falling into the Alliance’s hands. 

However, Tyrathan suspected that there were some in the Horde who were not looking for him. Most likely the Darkspears were hoping that Tyrathan would stay missing, never to be found by either side.

The rustling sound stopped, but Tyrathan didn’t drop his weapon. He didn’t let his guard down. Something was still out there. Finally, the source of the sound revealed itself.

A raptor stumbled out of the bushes and collapsed in front of Tyrathan. Several arrows stuck out of its back. Tyrathan recognized the arrows as the same ones used by Sylvanas’s dark rangers. They must have been close by.

Tyrathan touched the amulet that Vol’jin had given years ago. His luck was still holding out, but he needed to move. Stranglethorn was no longer safe for him. To be honest, no place was truly ever going to be safe for him again.


	6. Day 6: No more. “Stop, please”

N’zoth was free and the inhabitants of Azeroth were already feeling his influence. People were being driven mad with his whispers and visions. Vol’jin knew that Tyrathan was one of those who was suffering from those whispers.

Vol’jin didn’t know how long Tyrathan had been hiding that fact from Vol’jin. He suspected that it must have been going on for awhile, because by the time Vol’jin realized what was happening, it was bad.

“Stop, please,” whimpered Tyrathan from where he lay on the bed. His eyes were unfocused as tears ran down his cheeks. He must have been seeing another vision. Vol’jin didn’t know what images N’zoth was torturing Tyrathan with, but he knew that his mate was suffering.

“Tyrathan,” said Vol’jin gently as he sat on the bed next to Tyrathan. He wiped the tears off Tyrathan’s face. “It’s not real. Whatever ya are seeing, it’s not real. Don’t listen to him.”

“No more, please!” Tyrathan screamed.

“Tyrathan!” Vol’jin snapped as he shook Tyrathan by the shoulders.

“Vol’jin?” Tyrathan asked weakly as his eyes focused on Vol’jin.

“I’m here,” said Vol’jin as he pulled Tyrathan into his arms.

Tyrathan sobbed as he buried his face against Vol’jin’s chest. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he mumbled.

Vol’jin held Tyrathan tighter.

“He says I’m too weak to resist him,” continued Tyrathan.

“Ya not weak. Ya be one of da strongest people I know,” argued Vol’jin.

“He says that since I barely survived the Sha, that I have no chance against him,” sighed Tyrathan.

“Don’t listen to him! Don’t give in to him! We will get through dis, I promise!” Vol’jin growled.

Tyrathan laughed in a way that sent chills down Vol’jin’s spine. “You’re so naive. Some of the world’s strongest champions and leaders are falling to his influence. What hope do I have?!”

“Because I won’t let ya fall to him!” Vol’jin insisted, but despite the firmness in his voice, fear was gripping his heart. Tyrathan was slipping. The longer this went on, the closer Tyrathan seemed to N’zoth, and the less control Vol’jin seemed to have over this situation.

Tyrathan gave a snort of disbelief, but gripped Vol’jin’s arm tighter. “I want to sleep, but I’m scared of what I’m going to see when I do,” admitted Tyrathan. “I’m scared that when I’m asleep will be when he finally wears me down.”

“Sleep. I’m here. I’m not going to let anything happen to ya,” said Vol’jin as he rubbed Tyrathan’s back, trying to coax him to sleep. “He can’t have ya. I won’t let him have ya,” muttered Vol’jin. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he was determined not to lose Tyrathan.


End file.
